Design Leadership

grow from IC into lead or head of design role with advanced leadership, AI integration, stakeholder management, and team collaboration skills

experience

senior product designers, design managers

start

April, 2025

Group

30 students

Duration

6 weeks

Schedule

Mondays and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m (CET)

Instructors from:

Apple, Meta, Deliveroo, Zalando, Ernst&Young, GetYourGuide and 10+ world-famous companies

Language

English

it's a match, if you are:

01
a senior interface designer, product designer, or design manager seeking to enhance your leadership skills and strategic impact in design
02
aiming to transition into a design leadership position, with a solid foundation in design principles and practices
03
experienced in managing design projects, conducting research, and working with stakeholders, and looking to advance your career

learn how to grow
into a design leader

what you’ll be able to do after completing the course:

develop and pitch a design roadmap and strategy to stakeholders
conduct extensive market research and share the results across your organization
measure and improve design based on data and metrics
innovate with your team using proven design thinking methods
apply proven leadership and management frameworks such as Lean Canvas, design briefs, and the Value Proposition Canvas
iterate on your product, projects and team faster using AI tools
move from designing individually to leading projects, organizing people and creating value
cultivate trust and cooperation within your team, and master the essentials of the feedback culture

program

new insights and challenges

timetable

Mon, Thu — 6:30 p.m (CET)

01.week 1. design leadership in detail: understand the three types of design leadership, and core skills that separate a good leader from a great one
discover 12 qualities of effective organisations needed for truly effective design teams
map the real needs of your team and organisation with tools like design maturity index and adapt your leadership style for maximum impact
formulate a step-by-step design leadership plan tailored for both distributed and co-located teams
design rituals that reinforce the beliefs and behaviours of creative teams and organisations
02.finding opportunities & defining impactful business problems: get proficient at the problem framing that inspires others to search for creative solutions
master the frameworks like lean canvas, design briefs, value proposition canvas that help to deal with ambiguity, shape the right problem and cut ineffective business requests
learn how the design discovery process can help you drive consistent innovations and do it collaboratively
discover how to use strategic research, foresight and system thinking to identify biggest opportunities and motivate your team for design greatness
get fluent at communicating ideas in a way to get a business buy-in
03.week 2. leading design projects for defined problem space: how to lead the process of roadmapping
what are the possible process setup solutions
what is the team setup regarding the project roadmap
what are the roadmap planning tactics
04.helping your team succeed during solution phase: craft a team agreement to create a culture of belonging
set the stage for creative thinking with intentionally designed meetings and modes of thinking
become proficient in creative facilitation using the 4C model to ensure the engagement of the right stakeholders in the most effective formats
utilize AI tools effectively during the inspiration gathering and brainstorming phases
develop skills to critically evaluate and select the best ideas, enhancing the potential for innovative solutions
05.week 3. how to be a good design leader: get a different perspective into what leading for creativity means and how might your team or organisation benefit from more creative support
dive deeper into the 3 types of leadership
discover what will be easy to integrate into your team or organisation and what will be difficult
create your strategies for staying present and engaged. Learn how you will know when to lean in and when to create space for your team to take ownership

in 6 weekslearn 12 live topicsbased on the experience of5 speakers from15+ world-famous companies,and receive detailed feedback

instructors.
they will be there for you

Jon Vieira

Product Design Lead at Meta Reality Labs (AR/VR).

Over 20 years in Product Design across Interaction, UI, UX, and Motion, currently focused on cutting-edge technologies, leading the design of Virtual Reality platforms at Meta Reality Labs. Previously, Jon led the design of Augmented Reality tools and platforms for creators at Meta Spark. Designed for a range of industries, spanning automotive, AI, and sports.

Luana Moura

Design Leader & Strategist GetYourGuide, Ex-Product Design Manager (UX) for Zalando Payments Team.

20+ years of experience in designing digital products. 5 years leading design teams and crafting product and service strategies. Previously at Zalando, Fjord (Accenture Interactive), Motorola. A self-taught career that started in her early 13's at her stepfather's tech lab in Brazil that led Luana through a diverse range of professional experiences including big Airline, Banking and Marketplaces. Luana has supported several teams on achieving stronger design maturity, empathetic collaboration and sustainable growth.

Hans von Sichart

Sr. Principal Designer at Palo Alto Networks.

Hans developed innovative strategies and designs for high-quality products at companies like Apple, Cisco, Frog, GE, and Philips. He knows how to deal with difficult and seemingly boring stuff like transformative applications, process optimization, and technical challenges. 

Albina Cholak

Staff Product Designer at Deliveroo.

Over 12 years in designing products & services. Albina changed the way people shop groceries in over 11 markets for Deliveroo, created an all-in-one investment platform, replacing seven old systems at Octopus Investments, and created award-winning campaigns for brands like Huggies at ISD Group. She was recognised with internal promotions to leading roles in each organisation. Her true passion lies in empowering designers through creative collaboration in a practical environment, guiding them to discover their unique style and hone ‘super skills’.

Bence Csernak

Founder of Bencium® AI Consultants.

Strategic AI Consultant and Product Designer with over a decade of experience in UX and product design, business strategy, and advanced AI applications. He has led product design for major companies like Nortal, Natwest, EY, and HSBC, and has contributed to AI-driven projects across various sectors including healthcare, finance, and public services.

what you’re in for

access to exclusive industry insights and trends

2 online webinars per week and 10+ hours per week to complete homework
a lot of feedback from experienced instructors, many edits and improvements
interactive online meetings, where listening in the background will not work, because you turn knowledge from lectures into skills, analyzing projects with the instructors and fellow students
certificate for achievements — completion of homework